Crystal reports question

There are essentially two types of Crystal reports, Of the two types, there are several ways to implement each.

1. Internal Crystal reports. -- These reports are created by Epicor to work strictly with Vantage. (Examples are Purchase order "POFORM.rpt", A/R Invoice Form "ARFORM.rpt", etc. You can see the full list by going to Vantage/System Management/Configuration Maintenance/Report Style. This shows you each Vantage report and allows you to choose which Crystal or Progress report to use. These are found in the \vantage\userform directory on your server. Each time the report is run in Vantage, vantage exports a series of .dbf files and places them into your working directory on the workstation calling out the report. The limitation here is that the .dbf files contain mostly the fields needed in the report being run. The advantage is the speed the reports run.

1.a. You can modify any of the Crystal forms. These are linked to the .dbf files created when the report is run from Vantage.
1.b. You can add new fields via ODBC to the existing .dbf fields, but it is a bit tricky.
1.c. You can create custom reports from outside of Vantage that use these .dbf fields, but you first need to "Print Preview" the Vantage report that creates the .dbf fields, then you can run the external report against the .dbf.

2. Custom Crystal reports. These are reports that you create to run via ODBC directly to the Progress database.
2.a. Design a report in Crystal Designer and run it from there. Fastest way, but can only be done from computers that have Crystal Designer installed.
2.b. Compiled Crystal Reports. Crystal 7 (and Crystal 8 with installed upgrade from Seagate) are capable of compiling reports designed in Crystal Designer. These can then be installed on other workstations and run from there. Each PC installing and running the report needs ODBC installed on that PC. Now with Vantage 5.0, the SQL-92 drivers come with and thus save on License costs. Disadvantage: ODBC security risks. A user could use Access and actually corrupt your database or view potentially confidential information.
2.c. Crystal Web Component Server (or Crystal Enterprise in version 8.5).
This comes with Crystal Designer 8.0 and 8.5. You need an NT workstation and Web Software like Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) for this to work. It's a wonderful option for many users. You only need one copy of Crystal Designer and one ODBC link. Once set up, users access the reports over your newly created Intranet via their web browser. Reports can be implemented quickly and easily without needing to install anything on the users PC (after their first report is viewed that is).

Hope this helps summarize your options.

Troy Funte
Liberty Electronics


----- Original Message -----
From: me you
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 3:37 PM
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Crystal reports question


ok to answer the first question Yes it is a Custom
crystal report.
It seems tht the internal reports alltho crystal use
an X-base to bridge to the data and call data from
the database.
however the ones we generate from crystal can not make
the calls from inside as they use the ODBC bridge and
talk directly to the database.

you talk about "Web Component Server"
please elaborate more on this as I am somewhat unclear
on it. Is it something found on the crystal cd? or is
it a stand alone piece?



--- Thad Jacobs <tjacobs@...> wrote:
> Is this a modification or recreation of an existing
> vantage form (quote,
> sales order, traveler, or is it a custom ODBC
> report?
>
>
> As far as securing Crystal Reports, the most common
> way is to set up the Web
> Component Server, connect it to the Vantage Database
> using ODBC, and secure
> the individual report files with NT permissions.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: me you [mailto:mrvantage2002@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 9:39 AM
> To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Vantage] Crystal reports question
>
>
> Ok this is my first question hope someone can help
> me
> What I am trying to do is make a report template in
> crystal and add it to epicor so that it will run
> from
> with in the MRP.
> We need to be able to generate reports but limit
> the
> people who have access to it. i was hoping there was
> a
> way to do this.
>
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> Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are:
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> address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
> (1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group
> for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other
> 'goodies', please goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
> (2) To search through old msg's goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
> (3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage
> services goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
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>
>


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Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Ok this is my first question hope someone can help me
What I am trying to do is make a report template in
crystal and add it to epicor so that it will run from
with in the MRP.
We need to be able to generate reports but limit the
people who have access to it. i was hoping there was a
way to do this.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/
Is this a modification or recreation of an existing vantage form (quote,
sales order, traveler, or is it a custom ODBC report?


As far as securing Crystal Reports, the most common way is to set up the Web
Component Server, connect it to the Vantage Database using ODBC, and secure
the individual report files with NT permissions.



-----Original Message-----
From: me you [mailto:mrvantage2002@...]
Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 9:39 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Vantage] Crystal reports question


Ok this is my first question hope someone can help me
What I am trying to do is make a report template in
crystal and add it to epicor so that it will run from
with in the MRP.
We need to be able to generate reports but limit the
people who have access to it. i was hoping there was a
way to do this.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/


Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
ok to answer the first question Yes it is a Custom
crystal report.
It seems tht the internal reports alltho crystal use
an X-base to bridge to the data and call data from
the database.
however the ones we generate from crystal can not make
the calls from inside as they use the ODBC bridge and
talk directly to the database.

you talk about "Web Component Server"
please elaborate more on this as I am somewhat unclear
on it. Is it something found on the crystal cd? or is
it a stand alone piece?



--- Thad Jacobs <tjacobs@...> wrote:
> Is this a modification or recreation of an existing
> vantage form (quote,
> sales order, traveler, or is it a custom ODBC
> report?
>
>
> As far as securing Crystal Reports, the most common
> way is to set up the Web
> Component Server, connect it to the Vantage Database
> using ODBC, and secure
> the individual report files with NT permissions.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: me you [mailto:mrvantage2002@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 16, 2002 9:39 AM
> To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Vantage] Crystal reports question
>
>
> Ok this is my first question hope someone can help
> me
> What I am trying to do is make a report template in
> crystal and add it to epicor so that it will run
> from
> with in the MRP.
> We need to be able to generate reports but limit
> the
> people who have access to it. i was hoping there was
> a
> way to do this.
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
> http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/
>
>
> Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are:
> ( Note: You must have
> already linked your email address to a yahoo id to
> enable access. )
> (1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group
> for Report Builder and
> Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
> (2) To search through old msg's goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
> (3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage
> services goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
> ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>
> Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are:
> ( Note: You must have already linked your email
> address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
> (1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group
> for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other
> 'goodies', please goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
> (2) To search through old msg's goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
> (3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage
> services goto:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
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